Fax mail apparatus

Details Fax mail apparatus Fax mail apparatus

1996-02-16

2003-05-20

Nguyen, Madeleine (Department: 2622)

Facsimile and static presentation processing

Static presentation processing

Communication

C358S402000, C358S407000, C358S442000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06567178

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a FAX mail apparatus which receives and temporarily accumulates FAX messages (FAX message coded data) transmitted from a facsimile device (hereinafter abbreviated to [FAX]) on a transmitting side and which transmits the FAX message to a destination FAX device in accordance with a predetermined condition.
2. Description of the Related Art
A FAX mail apparatus for implementing a FAX mail service has hitherto been used. This FAX mail apparatus
100
is, as illustrated in
FIG. 10
, connected as a terminal to a switching equipment
101
which consists a part of communication network. The FAX mail apparatus
100
performs communications with a call originating FAX
102
and a destination FAX
103
according to a G3 FAX communication protocol and implements a variety of FAX mail services. The services actualized by this FAX mail apparatus
100
are, specifically, a “time designated service” for delivering the FAX message transmitted from the call originating FAX
102
to the destination FAX
103
at a time designated by a requester, a “broadcasting service” for simultaneously delivering the FAX message transmitted from the call originating FAX
102
to a plurality of destination FAXes
103
and a “confidential service” for delivering the FAX message transmitted from the transmitting FAX
102
to only an individual showing a predetermined password, etc.
FIG. 8
shows procedures in the case of requesting such FAX mail services. As illustrated in
FIG. 8
, a service requester executes dialing from a one's FAX device (call originating FAX)
102
to the FAX mail apparatus
100
((
1
)). When a connection response to this dialing is given from the FAX mail apparatus
100
, the service requester gives a designation of the service to the FAX mail apparatus
100
by a PB signal (Push Button Tone Signal), etc. ((
2
)). Items of data transmitted with this service designation are, for example, a subscriber's ID of the service requester and a password corresponding thereto which are registered beforehand in the FAX mail service, service codes (including a delivery time in the case of the time designated service and also the password of an individual receiving the delivery in the case of the confidential service) indicating a kind of the FAX mail service, destination designating codes (a telephone number of the destination FAX
103
or a broadcasting list number in the case of the broadcasting service), and so on.
The FAX mail apparatus
100
receiving those service designations performs a mail accepting process ((
3
)). More specifically, the FAX mail apparatus
100
checks whether or not a combination of the subscriber's ID and password contained in the service designation is previously registered as that of the service subscriber's own. Then, if registered, the service codes and the destination designating codes are stored therein. After completing the above processes, the FAX mail apparatus
100
transmits a service accept guidance to the call originating FAX
102
((
4
)). This service accept guidance is a voice data informing the service requester of a message such as “Set FAX in the transmitting status, please.”
When the service requester sees the text display of this service accept guidance and pushes a start button of the call originating FAX
102
, the G3 FAX communication protocol is started ((
5
)).
FIG. 9
illustrates a detail of this G3 FAX communication protocol.
As shown in
FIG. 9
, in an initial phase A of the G3 FAX communication protocol, call setting is carried out. That is, the transmitting-side FAX (the call originating FAX
102
in this case) transmits a calling tone (CNG) to the receiving-side FAX (the FAX mail apparatus
100
in this case), and the receiving-side FAX transmits a called station identification (CED) to the transmitting side FAX.
In a next phase B, pre-message procedures are conducted. That is, the receiving-side FAX transmits called subscriber identification (CSI), non-standard facilities (NSF) and a digital identification signal (DIS) to the transmitting-side FAX. This item of called subscriber identification (CSI) indicates a FAX-ID of the receiving-side FAX by use of characters (“+”, 0−9, blank) of 20 digits at the maximum. The non-standard facilities (NSF) is used for a non-standard protocol and available for, e.g., supporting the FAX-ID containing Kana (Japanese syllabary) and Kanji (Chinese character) that can be used in common by machines of the same maker. The digital identification signal (DIS) is data for indicating standard capabilities (a paper size, a communication speed, etc.) of the receiving-side FAX. Next, the transmitting-side FAX transmits transmitting subscriber identification (TSI), non-standard facilities set-up (NSS) and digital command signal (DCS) to the receiving-side FAX. This item of transmitting subscriber identification (TSI) is data for indicating, as in the same way with the data CSI, a FAX-ID of the transmitting-side FAX. The non-standard facilities set-up (NSS) is used for, as in the same way with the data NSF, the non-standard protocol and available for, e.g., supporting the FAX-ID containing Kana and Kanji that can be used in common by machines of the same maker. The digital command signal (DCS) is a digital setting instruction responding to the signal DIS. Thus, when each FAX obtains a FAX-ID of the other FAX, the receiving-side FAX transmits a confirmation to receive (CFR).
In a next phase C, the message is transferred. That is, the transmitting-side FAX transmits the FAX message to the receiving-side FAX. Further, in subsequent phases D and E, post-processing is to be executed.
The FAX-IDs are transferred and received by implementing the above G3 FAX communication protocol ((
6
)), and the FAX message (image data) is transmitted ((
7
)). Then, the FAX mail apparatus
100
executes a process of accumulating the FAX messages ((
8
)). That is, till the process is shifted to an implementation of the above FAX mail service, the FAX messages are held in the FAX mail apparatus
100
. Note that such FAX mail service procedures can be simplified in terms of the operation by making use of special numbers if the switching equipment
101
cooperates with the FAX mail apparatus
100
.
Incidentally, if a condition which is specified by the service designation (service codes, destination designating codes) stored in the FAX mail apparatus
100
is satisfied, the FAX mail apparatus
100
delivers the FAX message to the destination FAX
103
. This FAX message is delivered according to the G3 FAX communication protocol shown in
FIG. 9
, wherein the FAX mail apparatus
100
behaves as a transmitting-side FAX while the destination FAX
103
behaves as a receiving-side FAX.
Thus, in the FAX mail service, as shown in
FIG. 11
, the FAX message is transmitted by two communication steps, i.e., a communication step (step
1
) between the call originating FAX
102
and the FAX mail apparatus
100
and a communication step (step
2
) between the FAX mail apparatus
100
and the destination FAX
103
.
By the way, when ordinary FAXes perform the FAX communication with each other according to the above G3 FAX communication protocol, FAX-IDs are transferred and received between the transmitting-side FAX and the receiving-side FAX. Accordingly, the transmitting-side FAX is capable of displaying a telephone number of the receiving-side FAX, a name of a company-and a name of an installed section in which the receiving FAX is installed on a display unit thereof. On the other hand, the receiving FAX is capable of printing a telephone number of the transmitting FAX, a name of a company and a name of an installed section in which the transmitting FAX is installed at an upper or lower edge on a sheet of output paper for the FAX message.
As described above, however, in the FAX mail service using the FAX mail apparatus
100
, the FAX message is delivered trough the two communication steps. In each communication step, the FAX mail

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